I’ve just returned from a week of worship, prayer, reports,
business and fellowship at our triennial churchwide assembly in Milwaukee. I
give thanks for the 19 voting members from Eastern North Dakota Synod who
joined nearly 1000 voting members and visitors who gathered from across this
church.It was quite amazing to spend
time with ELCA brothers and sisters in Christ from Alaska (our domestic
companion synod) to the Caribbean to Hawaii and every state in between.

There was much accomplished.You can find a list of assembly actions taken
by visiting www.elca.org/cwa-2019/. The one action which is getting the
most attention is the decision to declare this church as a “sanctuary” denomination.
Though there was agreement welcoming people is a matter of faith and not a
political issue, how we live into being a sanctuary denomination was
unclear.In good Lutheran fashion, we
wrestled with the question “what does this mean?”After much deliberation, the assembly
directed the church council, synods and congregations to continue to wrestle
with the question.

The ELCA has a long history of advocating for immigrants
and working to welcome and resettle refugees. In fact, several congregations in
our synod sponsored refugees following World War II and again after the Vietnam
War. In its simplest form, becoming a sanctuary denomination means that the
ELCA is publicly declaring that walking alongside immigrants and refugees is a
matter of faith.Without a doubt, each synod and congregation will
be led in different ways to respond to current and future challenges and
opportunities related to immigration.

Today,
people migrate for all kinds of reasons. For some it might be hunger or
employment while others are fleeing violence and are literally running for
their lives.Most immigrants desire to
be in their homeland, but to no fault of their own, there is no option other
than to flee.Nearly 70 million people
have been forced to leave their homeland.Those finding themselves and their families in horrific situations is at
an all-time high.

I trust we can all agree this is not God’s desire for God’s
children.Furthermore, I hope we can all
agree this should be a concern for the church.If we can agree on these two, they become the common ground where our
churches can pray, converse and discern. While we may have different ideas
about how to fix a broken immigration system and may have different ways of
loving our neighbors, our call to do so is central to our faith. This is where we begin.

Some members will volunteer or donate to Lutheran Immigration
and Refugee Services (LIRS), others may wish to learn more and/or support the
ELCA’s AMMPARO* strategy, others may wish to write letters to legislators or to
join a march to advocate for change, still others may find ways to support
immigrant families in their own communities or help improve conditions in other
countries through mission work.

Unfortunately,
as our church begins the conversation of what this action means, some media
outlets have tried to answer the question for us.This has caused confusion and misinformation.Please know, from a polity standpoint, nothing
in this action binds synods, congregations, or any other organizations
affiliated with the church.Simply put, though I hope we roll up our
sleeves and respond to those who are unimaginable situations, this action does
not require congregations to do anything.Also, there is no call in the action for civil disobedience or any
illegal actions.

In response to this churchwide assembly action, it is my hope
and prayer as individuals and congregations you will thoughtfully engage in
prayer, discernment and conversation. As you do so, a centering question might
be:how are we being called to work
for justice and peace in this place and in this time?

Please know if you have questions, concerns or hopes, you
may contact the synod office at 701-232-3381.As always, the synod staff and I stand ready to assist you and your
congregation in whatever way is helpful.

South Sudan Lutheran Church was awarded a $50,000.00 Big Dream grant from ELCA World Hunger Grant. Inspired by the creativity and bold thinking of anti-hunger ministries in the church, ELCA World Hunger launched the Big Dream Grants program to support ministries that are building and designing innovative and lasting solutions to hunger, poverty and economic inequality.

The one-time Big Dream award payments range from $10,000 to $75,000. This year, five ministries across the country received a total of $250,000, including $50,000 for Eastern ND Synod's South Sudan Lutheran. "Receiving this grant will give us a chance to dream big and establish a giving circle within our community and to create a sustainable and strong South Sudan Lutheran Church that will continue to be a life-changing, transformative community where everyone can encounter reminders of God’s love and move forward together in our home of Fargo-Moorhead," says director of the church, Matuor Alier.

Eastern ND Synod Bishop Terry Brandt adds, "South
Sudan Lutheran's creativity, passion, dedication and faithfulness is Spirit
led.The
congregation is a wonderful example of the church at it's best. It will
be joy for all who witness and partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ
as they expand their ministry as a result of the Big Dream Grant."

What are they doing?

South Sudan Lutheran hopes to leverage the Big
Dream grant to develop financial support and security by organizing a
contributing membership base and inviting support from allied organizations and
individuals to supplement grants.

Three goals and
supporting objectives –

1.
Collaborate with other leaders of color working to benefit communities of color
to organize a giving circle with members from our respective communities,
inviting members to each annually contribute a meaningful amount of money –
different for each member – to stipend community organizers to respond to
community needs, resolve concerns, reconcile conflicts and represent community
interests in the public realm.

If we can organize
communities of color to collectively fund work to represent their interests and
realize their objectives, we can formalize their power and work to advance the
interests of our community with some independence from funder requirements and
constraints.

2.
Coalesce a circle of annual donors external to our community interested in
matching the annual membership contributions of community members.

3.
Continue to identify alignment between the priorities and programs of South
Sudan Lutheran and local, regional and national grant opportunities, and secure
funds to sustain the church’s community-building and commitment to social
change.

Alier continues, "Our community believes
the church is the heart of the community – not just a place for worship, but a
center for the life of our community and a home for people displaced from their
homes and often living on the periphery of their new hometown of Fargo-Moorhead.
While English-speaking communities in Fargo-Moorhead have a range of
organizations to host and facilitate their community interactions and support
their needs – religious organizations, service organizations, nonprofits, arts
and cultural institutions – our South Sudanese community interacts with the
church as its primary institution. For us, it is our place of worship,
community center, social service agency, counseling center, youth organization,
educational resource center, job placement agency and cultural organization.
Our church gives us cultural, financial, physical, relational, social and
spiritual support, but we also believe it exists not just for our benefit. We
believe that our church can be a place to connect many communities together."